Greykin Mountain

| 47 | Training

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With an obedient stare, Jackson focused on Damon.

          "First, you need to learn to control your ethos," the Alpha explained. "It comes naturally to those of us who were born wolves, but for you—for wolves who were bitten and given ethos—it will be much harder."

          Jackson nodded. Although he was nervous, he was excited to learn to control this new power of his.

          "During your first transformation, the organ which creates and circulates ethos around your body had to form inside you—that's why it hurt so much. If you place your hand on your chest and focus, you should be able to feel a beat that isn't your heart."

          As a curious frown appeared on his face, Jackson moved his hand over his chest and concentrated. For the first few moments, he could feel his heart beating, but when he pressed his palm down a little harder, he felt a strange sensation. It was more like a vibrating pulse than a beat. Was that what Damon meant?

          "I think I feel it," he told the Alpha.

          "Now you know where it is and what it feels like, take your hand away and try to focus on it."

          "Uh...okay," he said, slowly lowering his hand to his side. Then, he closed his eyes and tried to focus on that pulsing vibration. But he couldn't find it. "I don't know, I...I can't find it."

          "It shouldn't be too difficult—it's a whole new part of you. It's been there barely a week; your body can't be used to it yet."

          Jackson frowned harder and shuffled around a little.

          "Try thinking about the new energy coursing around inside you. Think about...what you felt when you punched that man in the pharmacy."

          That made him feel guilty. But he tried to push that part of it aside. Instead, he thought about the strange new strength he'd felt. It had been like he'd discovered something buried within himself—something that had been dormant for a while, waiting to emerge.

          And there it was. That pulsing vibration behind his heart.

          "I can feel it," he said with an excited smile on his face as he opened his eyes to stare at Damon.

          "Good. Now, every time you want to use the strength your wolf gives you in this form, all you need to do is focus on that feeling, and it will allow you to control how little or how much of that power you want to use. The best way to describe it is...you can tell it what you want. If you want to hit as hard as you can, make sure you intend to do that, and it will happen. If you only want to hit a little harder than the average human is able—"

          "Make sure I intend to do that."

          Damon nodded. "Your wolf also grants you greater speed in this form, and your senses remain as heightened as they are when you are a wolf." He glanced over at the tree to Jackson's immediate right. "Show me you can control it. Hit that tree—enough to shatter the trunk, but not so much that it breaks and falls."

          Jackson looked at the tree and turned to face it. "So...just hit it?"

          "And remember what I said about your intentions."

          "Okay," he said with a nod.

          He approached the tree. As he stared at the white, black-striped bark, he ever so slowly rolled his shirt sleeves up. The dread of impending embarrassment made him hesitate, but he didn't want to stand there and do nothing and make himself look pathetic, especially not in front of Damon.